Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a recording medium.
Description of the Related Art
Recording media on which images including text and graphics will be recorded using an ink jet recording apparatus or the like are required to allow the recorded images to exhibit higher color developability. In addition, as the recording speed is increased, it is desired that the recording media have a higher resistance to damage or scratches caused by high stress placed thereon when conveyed at a high speed (this resistance is hereinafter referred to as scratch resistance).
For recording media, a water-resistant substrate is known in which cockling, such as creases and waves, does not easily occur after recording. The water-resistant substrate may be a resin-coated substrate produced by coating a base paper with a resin film, or a plastic substrate, such as a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film. Recording media using a water-resistant substrate are smoother than those using a paper substrate, and tend to be damaged by being rubbed with another recording medium when being conveyed. High scratch resistance is particularly desired. Water-resistant substrates do not absorb ink. In order to impart ink absorbency to a recording medium using a water-resistant substrate, the porosity of the ink receiving layer is increased by increasing the percentage of the inorganic particles in the ink receiving layer relative to the binder therein. If the percentage of the binder in the ink receiving layer is reduced, however, the scratch resistance of the recording medium tends to be reduced undesirably. Hence, it has been difficult for known techniques to achieve a recording medium that can exhibit both high scratch resistance and high ink absorbency while using a water-resistant substrate.
In order to increase the ink absorbency of a recording medium using a water-resistant substrate, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-129611 discloses a recording medium including a PET film and a single ink receiving layer containing a colloidal silica and a polyvinyl alcohol having a silanol group (hereinafter referred to as silanol-modified PVA in some cases) on the PET film.
Although the paper substrate is not water-resistant substrate, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2013-022733 and 2010-099991 each disclose a recording medium including a paper substrate and an ink receiving layer containing a colloidal silica and a silanol-modified PVD on the paper substrate.